help

[mtgraphix]

oops - that's Anvil hats, not Anbil. LOL good thing it's late afternoon Friday. . .

[HERB]

Rodney, In the future make sure you capitalize my first name.

Herb

[Rod or Sharon]

Ya know Herbie,

Ya'all always have been a bit fussy but I like ya like that anyway.....still think I ought to post that cap test picture so everyone will know just who you are...... Might be I could even auction that one off.....

Rod

[Laurie]

I understand that different caps will hoop differently, we have some cheapies that we got with the business over two years ago...
I have been practicing on my GOOD hats which are
kati sportcaps

not cheap, and I have wasted about 4-5 of tehm alread, along with making 3 crappy samples that we actually gave teo the customer... :/

[signman]

Laurie-I had nothing but trouble with caps for years...until I got some excellent help from Rod, Herb, Ed, and someone else that all offered advice.
Here's what I was doing WRONG...
lettering-too dense (3.5, 4, etc.-no...should be 5,6) density of backgrounds- too dense, also-backgrounds on hats...not really recommended.
Sewing from center out, and from bottom to top. I was using shirt layouts, didn't change things. Always sew the bottom line (of lettering) or bottom portion first-work your way up, and when possible-do the center first, then to one side, then back to the center and to the other side.
Image height-average hats 2" is good-unstructured low crown- 1.5" is about it. Some full height structured hats you might go up to 2.5 or 2.75 but you'll see the hat moving around.
Backing-I use 1 layer of stiff 2oz. tear away, 4" roll. Precut sheets don't always work-unless you get the long ones.
Hat brim-watch the hat as it sews-is the brim rubbing on the back of the needle head? This will 'pull' the face of the cap-distort the sewout, break needles or thread...that's what the 'bungee cord' adaptor fixes on the CCF.

[Laurie]

I am doing all thoses things... so I really think it is just a matter of learning how to hoop the darn thing OR when we get teh new hoop, finding out if the one we have is somehow defective and why we are having so much trouble... there are three of us here trying to make it work with little to no success!
Can we all be that dumb??? :/

[Rod or Sharon]

Trying to diagnois a problem like you are having without being there to acually watch you go thru the process is difficult.

It may not be the way you are hooping the caps at all. It could be that you do not have the cap driver installed properly. It maybe that you are using the wrong cap driver designation.

On the driver.....how old is your machine? Do you have the two piece version or the one piece version? The two piece version allows you to leave the bars attached to the machine....if you have the two piece version....are the bars slid ALL THE WAY back in the dovetail slot? Are the attachment screws holding it in place?

If you have the two piece, you should be using the XT Extended cap driver designation. If you have the one piece and it is an XT machine, you should be using the XT WACF designation. This is all assuming we are talking XT Amaya...

If you have watched Herbs video closely, there are two very unforgiving areas that he points out...hooping the cap tight is the first.....rub it down on the ring guage and stretch it tight. The second is to NOT bend the cap bill back to your belly to try and get a deeped bite on those teeth....doing this will cause the center portion of the bill to be LIFTED off of the teeth at the top when the bill is pushed forward to secure the bill clamp.....you absolutely cannot bend the bill back.......

You will find that the two strap frame can and will have the same problems. herbs video shows how to use the two strap frame.....

Just some thoughts....

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

[Laurie]

Rod-

to anwser your q's...

-The machine is basically Brand New! We obtained it from a Repo situation, when the Tech set everything up and tested it, he showed us where it had less than FOUR hours of use in it!!!
Stitch count was minimal!
-It is an XT, and our driver is in two pieces.
as far as I knw it is set up correctly (the right destination) as the tech did all that for us.
-I/we have watched teh video many times... I understand the importance of what you have pointed out, everyone does rub the cap to frame to try and ensure getting it as snug as possible... although my employers are pulling the bill back to far, insistant that that is the only way it is going to work...

I am just really frustrated, as I am the "embroidery" person and they expect me to just get it!! I had no prior experience befiore walking thru their doors two years ago... been to DAX twice and took some great classes while there, otherwise everything has been self taught and until a month ago we did not do hats!!!
I love teh work, but right now my job isn;t very fun.

Herb actually called me yesterday (thanks Herb) and we talked about a couple things... I can't get my employers to understand this isn;'t going to happen over night and that maybe just maybe we should have put in some practice before taking in an OVER 100 cap order wth a short deadline!!!

Im trying to hang in there, but after last week, I am ready to pull my hair out!

Laurie :/

[ November 06, 2009, 12:03 PM: Message edited by: Laurie ]

[Rod or Sharon]

Laurie,

It is just not possible for Herb to talk about "just a couple of things"... ))).

Herb is the best at cap sewing that I am personally aware of....he is a pretty nice guy to take time out of his busy schedule to extend help....just to help...he gets a couple of "atta boys" for that...Thanks Herb...

This statement..."although my employers are pulling the bill back to far, insistant that that is the only way it is going to work"... is the one that gets most folks in trouble with these frames. As I said before, you ABSOLUTELY cannot get away with bending the bill of the cap back, shoving the hat band deeper up on or into the frame. As soon as you push the bill back to secure the bill in the clamp, it will spring load the center of the cap and lift it off of the teeth of the frame.

Couple this with having too tall of a design,or sewing the design too high on the cap or not using long enough backing for the side teeth to grab onto, etc, then doing a trace and the sewing arm will simply push the cap off of the teeth the rest of the way......

Are you using the hoop selection for the XT Extended cap frame ?

"(as far as I knw it is set up correctly (the right destination) as the tech did all that for us.)"

These are things that need checked by you on a regular basis. Things in the machine world have a way of loosening up, moving when we don't want them to and generally speaking, just want to be a pain in the butt....but that is just the way it is.....we are the operators and therefore have put ourselves in charge as the machines caretaker.....we have to "make sure" it is set up right "ourselves."

Have you checked to see if the "bars" are actually pushed back as far as they will go to the back of the machined dovetail slot?

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

[Laurie]

I am using the XT cap frame selection.
The bars are pushed back as far as they can go.

Hopoefully after a half day away from it... it will work better. [img]smile.gif[/img]

thanks for all teh input!

Laurie

[Laurie]

Ok, so we got the 'old' 2-strap version today and I was able to hoop it without any problems!! It did not move off teh hoop at all!!
I am actually feeling a lot better about our big cap order! I can make this hoop work for me which will benifit the customer!!

Thanks for all the advice gang!!
Laurie [img]smile.gif[/img]